Alice Graduates 8th Grade at Guthrie Junior High School
Standing in front of the Guthrie Junior High School, dressed in their ceremonial finery, it’s easy to overlook that these graduates were from rural families, many of them children of the original land runners of 1889. This gathering in front of the school in central Guthrie brought together children from different schools in the county. Alice herself attended the Chappel, Garden and Walker schools. Alice stands close to the center of the group.
To the north of Guthrie, the panhandle of Oklahoma was in the midst of the dust bowl,
the rest of the 1930’s. While the town of Guthrie was spared the worst of the dust, like many ‘Okies’, the LeGrande family must have moved west for a while as there is a school certificate in Alice’s name from a California school. Even after their return to Logan County, the effects of the Dust Bowl era affected their lives. On March 24, 1937, Alice writes in her diary:
Dusty day we’ve had. Couldn’t see Grandma’s house. Went with Daddy and Lemuel and got about 8 or 9 tubs of hail. Made pineapple ice cream.
So, the dust held off on this clear summer day, as the graduates stand holding their diplomas. Inside the neatly printed diploma is a certificate confirming the graduation. On the reverse are the results of the final examination, which Alice took on April 17th, 1936. Alice seems to have been a great student with good scores in all subjects. High marks in maths, reading and domestic science favor Alice’s future running Midway Station, a successful country store and shop with her future husband Lorne Stewart.
